2014 Buick Encore Enables +18 Percent June Growth for Brand

Encore, LaCrosse, Regal Enjoy Double-digit Gains

The tri-shield brand led all of GM in both sales growth and retail sales growth in June, and a fair amount of that momentum is coming from the 2014 Buick Encore. Shaking off any thoughts of a sophomore slump during its second season on the marketplace, the premium compact crossover enjoyed an 81.7 percent surge in demand in June along with 4,142 deliveries. Perhaps uncoincidentally, the 2014 Buick Encore also earned a first-place finish in its segment in this year's J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS)—a closely watched measure of driver-reported vehicle quality during the first three months of ownership.

Okay, truth be told, the 2014 Buick Encore actually tied the Kia Sportage and Nissan Juke in the 2014 IQS results, but the Encore gets pride of place based on Power's alphabetical approach to listing the winners.

The Buick brand can further take some pride in knowing that the Encore isn't the only vehicle from the division to benefit from growing customer interest last month. A case in point is the Buick Regal, which has quietly put together a 39.5 percent increase in volume through the first six months of the year, courtesy of 12,303 sales; in June, the Regal supported that performance by selling 1,743 models and raising ye olde sales bar by 26 percent. Perhaps even more surprising was an unexpected June jolt to sales of the Buick LaCrosse.

With 5,332 deliveries last month, the LaCrosse leapt ahead of its volume pace in June 2013 by 33.3 percent. Customers even nudged the veteran of the Buick lineup, the Encore three-row premium crossover, into the black during the prior month. Also the best-selling Buick of the month, and the year, the Encore sold 6,202 units in the previous month, for a 4.7 percent improvement in volume.

All told, Buick's June total of 21,403 sales was 18.4 percent higher than in the same month last year; also, at the halfway point in the 2014 selling season, the Buick lineup has sold 113,472 units to lift volume by 12.5 percent.